James Brainard

James R. Brainard

Mayor of Carmel, Indiana
In office January 1, 1996 ^[1] – present
Preceded by	Ted Johnson
Personal details
Born	1954 (age 61-62) Bristol, Indiana
Political party	Republican
Residence	Carmel, Indiana
Alma mater	Butler University, Claude W. Pettit College of Law
Occupation	Lecturer, Politician
Religion	Roman Catholic
Website	http://www.carmel.in.gov
Nickname(s)	Jim

James Brainard is the incumbent mayor of Carmel, Indiana, a principal city in the Indianapolis metropolitan area. Brainard has served 5 consecutive 4 year terms as the mayor of Carmel spanning 20 years. He is seeking re-election in 2015.^[2] By winning a sixth term, he will hold the record for longest serving city mayor in Indiana history after completing 24 years.

Early Life and Education

Raised in Bristol, Indiana, the son of Jack and Dortha, he was always interested in Music. He considered majoring in it but since he wanted to go to law school, he chose to follow his parents to Butler University because of their history department's reputation. After graduating in 1976, he went on to the law school at Ohio Northern University. He graduated in 1980, having supported himself as a cab driver.^[3]

Political views

Brainard believes in the science of climate change. He claimed, "You have to trust 97 percent of scientists. There's no question that the earth is warming. The numbers are what the numbers are." Because of Brainard's activity to create a health conscious community, Carmel has received various awards for its healthy living.

Because of his views, Brainard "was tapped to be on President Obama's Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience. He [also] won first place honors from the 2008 Mayor's Climate Protection Awards Program."^[4] In 2013, it was announced he would be "one of 26 local government representatives who make up a new task force to help communities deal with the effects of climate change" ^[5]

James Brainard supports same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. He is enrolled and an active participant of Mayors for the Freedom to Marry. Brainard has also been a supporter of diversity in Carmel, highlighted in his hosting of an iftar dinner during Ramadan for the local Muslim community. Brainard has said, “When I study the history of our cities, I see that the most important advances take place when people of diverse backgrounds meet. Carmel’s diversity brings a richness to the fabric of our community, and our freedom of religion should be celebrated.”^[6]

Awards

2013 International Making Cities Livable Joseph P. Riley Jr. Award “for his inspirational leadership in creating a vibrant, multi-functional heart for Carmel, IN."^[7]

2012 American Council of Engineering Companies of Indiana (ACEC Indiana) Public Service Award ^[8]

2011 Local Arts Leadership because of "Support the Arts fund, which mandates that one percent of the city's general fund support local arts organizations. What’s more, the account is set up as a non-reverting fund. As such, any money not used at year's end is not lost but flows into next year's fund."^[9]

External links

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, December 28, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.